Jokes As Cheesy As The Pizza

Good evening, folks! Welcome to an article about Toledo’s newest open mic comedy show, Home Slice Comedy Night! I’m Jon, and I’ll be your writer and host today. I’ve been a comic for a few years now. I got my start at a handful of comedy open mics in the area. But I’ve never hosted an article like this before. I feel good about it, because you’re the first audience that can’t heckle me.

Recently there has been a dearth of venues that host stand-up comedy in Toledo. That’s why a few interested local comics, Mike Szar, Keith Bergman, and I, started looking for a new place to test our jokes. We found it in Downtown Toledo at Homeslice Pizza, now home to a weekly open mic every Thursday. Let me introduce you to my co-hosts.

The hosts with the mosts

Alright, it’s time for your next host. He’s a local favorite who has been lucky enough to be on the cover of the Toledo City Paper before. He’s been a comic for more than five years, and helped run an open mic night (at Suki— now Royalty— Hookah) that sadly is no more. But that’s why he’s now hosting this fantastic show. Everyone, please welcome Mike Szar!

Mike loves open mics, but knows there’s one problem when it comes to hosting -: “showing up on time.” For the past few Thursday shows Szar has shown up by 8pm for showtime. If you’re looking to get up on stage, arrive by 7:30 to sign yourself up for stage time.

Seating is a bit limited at Home Slice’s second-floor bar area where the show takes place, so to watch us you should get there early. “I like that it’s intimate,” Szar explains. “I’ve always found tighter spaces to be more conducive for a good show. There is a certain energy that’s hard to reproduce in a large space.”

So cheesy I’m using the joke again

Your next host is a local hero for many area comedians. Since 2010 he’s been working on his comedy, and started hosting open mics at the now-closed Connxtions Comedy Club. Last year he recorded a comedy album, Goldfish, at the Maumee Indoor Theater, and now he’s a host at Home Slice Comedy Night. Please give it up for Keith Bergman!

Bergman has been around long enough to know how open mics work. “So many external factors affect open mics, that’s why they tend to come and go,” he says. “It’s normal to periodically change up venues, nights of the week and formats to keep things fresh.” Bergman has performed in Toledo-based shows on rooftops, in bars, and now at a pizza place.

Those shows have come and gone, meaning “stage time has always been at a premium in Toledo,” Bergman relates. “This makes our shows feel a little more important and meaningful. I’m always proud of the locals who step up on the stage, especially when audience members express how impressed they are with the quality of the show.”

What about me, Jon, the third host? Well, I’ve never hosted my own mic before, and I’ve only been a comic for three years. Did you chuckle while reading this article? Then come out to Home Slice Comedy Night where I work with the funniest people I know to entertain you. Did you hate this piece? Well, if you’re funnier than me, we’ve got seven open spots every week for you to prove it. I hope to see you there.